The Conference of Non-Career Ambassadors has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to delay their recall slated for October 31, citing the resumption of their children in schools overseas.
The federal government under Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership had in 2021 deployed about 52 non-career ambassadors to its foreign missions abroad.
Tinubu, who took office from Buhari on May 29, 2023, had through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, on September 2, instructed all envoys to return home on October 31.
But in a letter to the President dated October 13 and signed by the Dean of Nigerian Ambassadors, Nwannebuike Ominyi, the envoys said the deadline would cause serious disruptions to them, particularly their children’s education.
The envoys appreciated the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for giving them the opportunity and privilege to represent Nigeria as Ambassadors and High Commissioners.
“We are, indeed, grateful for the honour to serve our fatherland.
“We also appreciate the President’s decision to recall us in his move to re-engineer the foreign policy of his administration, and we hereby, convey our support for this administration’s effort to take our country forward.
“However, as we are winding down at our respective countries of assignment, we are constrained to draw the attention of Mr. President that the deadline of October 31 brings a major challenge to our children’s education. This is because schools resumed a couple of weeks ago, and students are only about half way into the school term; as such, the transition from their current schools to schools in Nigeria will be challenging,” the letter partly reads, Daily Sun reports.
